Getting Smart With Investment in Gold.

“If ever there was an area in which to do the exact opposite of that which government and the media urge you to do, that area is the purchasing of gold.”— Robert Ringer

“People view gold as emotional, but when they demythologize it, when they look at it for what it is and the opportunity it represents, they are going to say ‘We really should own some of that’. The question will then change to ‘Where do we get the gold’?” – Thomas Kaplan (Over $2 Billion Invested in Gold)

This alone proves that the Indian men and women are highly interested in buying gold jewelry. Further, gold is also treated as a sign of royalty in India. However, when it comes to investing in gold, now a day, people do not consider it as a good option. With the increase in the paper assets, the gold investment is slightly fading away.

Moreover, most of the investors think that investment in gold is not as rewarding compared to stocks, bonds, and real estates.

“(Gold) gets dug out of the ground in Africa, or someplace. Then we melt it down, dig another hole, bury it again and pay people to stand around guarding it. It has no utility. Anyone watching from Mars would be scratching their head.”

“I have no views as to where it will be, but the one thing I can tell you is it won’t do anything between now and then except look at you. Whereas, you know, Coca-Cola (KO) will be making money, and I think Wells Fargo (WFC) will be making a lot of money, and there will be a lot — and it’s a lot — it’s a lot better to have a goose that keeps laying eggs than a goose that just sits there and eats insurance and storage and a few things like that.

“You could take all the gold that’s ever been mined, and it would fill a cube 67 feet in each direction. For what it’s worth at current gold prices, you could buy — not some — all of the farmland in the United States. Plus, you could buy 10 Exxon Mobils (XOM), plus have $1 trillion of walking-around money. Or you could have a big cube of metal. Which would you take? Which is going to produce more value?”

However, being born in a middle-class family, and listening to my mother continuously talking about the jewellery & rising prices of gold, I differ a little with Warren Buffet’s idea of investing in gold.

Gold has been used as a currency for over centuries in this world. Gold is assumed to be first found in Egypt in 3000 BC. However, gold started acting as a currency only since 560 BC. Nevertheless, gold is one of such rare items which has consistently been in the market and used to buy/exchange items.

I believe that everyone should have a small portion of his portfolio invested in gold. There are various reasons why I believe this, however there are few main points:

Why should you Invest in Gold?

1. Gold has high liquidity:

No matter which part of the country you live in, gold can easily be converted in cash and readily be bought and sold. However, such option is not available with other paper assets like stocks and bonds or physical assets like real estates. Further, there is no or minimal paperwork required in gold investment.

2. Gold preserves wealth:

Here is a chart showing the upwards trend of gold over the last few centuries.

From the year 2006 to 2011, gold has given a return of 29% per annum. Further, if we consider long term, it has given a return of 10% per annum. Overall, gold will preserve your wealth if you hold it for a long-term duration.

3. Hedge against inflation:Gold acts a great investment to protect your money from inflation. Over the past couple of years, as the purchasing power of Rupee is declining; on the contrary, the price of gold is consistently increasing.

4. Portfolio Diversification:Gold acts as a great asset for diversification. As gold has a negative correlation with other asset types like stocks bonds etc, gold moves in the opposite direction than these assets. Let me explain this with an example:

Here is a chart of SENSEX over the past few years.

In the above chart, please notice that when the SENSEX was sharply falling in 2008-09, the prices of the gold kept skyrocketing during this duration. Hence, if you had diversified your portfolio with gold investment, you wouldn’t have faced so much loss compared to concentrated investment in stocks.

In short, gold investment can help investors to avoid financial disasters.

Apart from the above four reasons, there are few other reasons also which favors gold investment.

For example, in the 21st century, every country has a different currency. Nevertheless, gold can act a commonly acceptable asset anywhere in the world. Further, it’s much beneficial to keep a gold in your pocket than a currency which is not acceptable.

In addition, gold is also a great investment to pass on to your next generation who might not have such luxuries to find gold in abundance.

How to invest in Gold in India?

Now that you have understood the importance of gold investment, I would like to highlight the simple ways by which you can invest in gold in India.

Typically, there are two ways to invest in gold:

1. Physical Gold Investment:

Jewellery Buying:

This is the old and conventional way of gold investment. You might have seen the jewellery of your mother, sister or other members of the family, which is the best example of gold investment through jewelry. Although these pieces of jewellery act more like ornaments, still they are worth considering as an investment.

The pros of buying gold jewelry are its easy feasibility along with zero paperwork.

However, there are also few cons while investing in gold jewelry. For example, first of all, you need to pay the making charges (10-20% of total cost) along with the price of the original gold. Second, when you will sell the jewelry, the buyer will not consider the making charge. In addition, he will also demand a purchase discount (5-10%). Lastly, there is a high risk of theft and burglary in storing gold jewelry.

Gold Coins and Bars:

These are a better option for gold investment compared to buying jewelry. There are no making charges involved here. You can buy or sell the gold coins and bars from any Jewellery shops. Further, some banks also sell them.

One of the biggest benefits of investing in physical gold assets is that you won’t need to open an account to start investing. No demat or trading account is required for this type of gold investment, unlike paper assets like stocks or bonds.

2. Paper Gold Investment Options:

Gold ETF:

ETF stands for Exchange traded funds. Gold ETF is a type of mutual fund which invests in gold and units of this mutual funds scheme is listed on the stock exchange.

You can invest in Gold ETF through a demat account. However, this type of investment of gold involves assets management and brokerage charges. Brokerage fee for gold ETF is around 0.25-0.5% and the fund management charges are approximately 0.5-1%.

Because of these charges, the returns on Gold ETF are less than the actual increased value of gold. Gold ETF is directly proportional to the price movement of gold and is not affected by market fluctuations.

The biggest benefit of paper gold investment options is that there is no risk of theft or burglary here; as compared to physical gold.

How much to invest in Gold?

The portfolio allocation for gold investment varies for different investors according to their investment strategies. In general, small investors should keep 5-10% of their portfolio invested in gold. Gold doesn’t give an as high return as stocks or real estate. Nevertheless, gold investment will help to mitigate the risks in your portfolio.

How to start investing in Gold online?

You can buy gold ETF or gold fund online just like a mutual fund. However, you need to research carefully about the different ETF’s available. Here is the list of few gold ETF schemes available in India:

Is Gold Investment good for a small investor?

Hi, I am Kritesh, an NSE Certified Equity Fundamental Analyst and an electrical engineer (NIT Warangal) by qualification. I have a passion for stocks and have spent my last 4+ years learning, investing and educating people about stock market investing. And so, I am delighted to share my learnings with you. #HappyInvesting

Hi, Kritesh!Thank you for this informative blog. Gold bar & Gold Coin have been one of the best options for wealth management. Before reading this blog, I was confused regarding investment in the gold. I cleared my doubt and I will invest according to your suggestion.

I’m not one of those readers that comments on articles often, but yours really compelled me.You have chosen an impossible idea and made it possible for the common person to see and believe. Keep up the good work, and I look forward to much more from your mind and hand.